The Rest of the Iceberg

Colombia produces more cocaine than any other country. Sadly, that's the only thing most people know about the country. Locals would rather that Colombia was known for its green energy (which produces more than 70% of the country's energy needs), its world-class mines, or its bird life—it has more species than any other nation. But mention Colombia and people think drugs. How did Colombia get the depressing distinction of being the world's leading producer of cocaine?

An archive of news stories on any country will be mixed—some happy, some sad. Congo, or the Democratic Republic of Congo to give the country its full name, might be the exception. Despite its extraordinary natural resources, including large deposits of diamonds, copper, uranium, and coltan, and enough hydro-electric potential to power all the countries of Africa South of its borders, the news out of Congo has been reliably tragic for more than a hundred years. If you replace “Despite” with “Because of” at the start of the previous sentence, you'll have the main reason why Congo has been a mess for so long.

Public protests against governments are common. But it's unusual when a neighbouring country takes advantage of the protests and invades. That's what happened to Ukraine in 2014, when demonstrations in the capital city of Kiev prompted Russia to attack. Within weeks, Russian soldiers seized thousands of square miles of Ukrainian territory, including the strategic Crimean peninsula. They are still there. Ukraine's government is no longer sovereign over all of Ukraine. How did this happen?

Ask soccer fans which team they want to see play before they die and many will say Brazil. In their yellow shirts and blue shorts, Brazil has earned the reputation of playing attractive soccer more consistently than anyone else. When Brazilians dubbed soccer “o jogo bonito,” the beautiful game, it wasn't just an aspiration. Brazil also wins. The team's reward for making football more about art than science has been more World Cup trophies than any other nation and the highest winning percentage of any national team. How did Brazil get so good?

Which is the strangest looking country in the world? Contenders include the United States (think of Alaska and Hawaii), Papua New Guinea (shouldn't it have the whole island?), Gambia (what's it like to be entirely surrounded by another country?), and the United Kingdom (what's with Northern Ireland?). The winner, however, might be Malaysia. It looks like a piece of fruit sliced in two, its two halves separated by 650 kilometers of water. Neither part covers all the relevant geography—the western half shares the peninsula with Thailand and Singapore, while the eastern half covers only a quarter of the island of Borneo. Nor does this unusual arrangement have the weight of history behind it—Malaysia in its current form dates back only to the 1960's. How did Malaysia get the borders it has today?

For years, Audi advertisements have used the slogan “Vorsprung durch Technik.” Only a fraction of the millions who have read or heard the words know what they mean (“Progress through technology,” is the answer). The ad campaign works because people associate German design and manufacturing with quality, precision, and technical brilliance. Whether it's Carl Zeiss lenses, BMW motorcycles, Bosch dishwashers, or Lamy pens, people buy German with the expectation of excellence. How did Germany get so good at manufacturing?

When people imagine Kenya, most think of safari parks filled with lions, leopards, and wildebeest. That may change, however, if Kenya continues to be the scene of sickening terror attacks. Tourist numbers are already down. People are worried that the lions won't be the only predators they encounter on their trip.

Curiosity is a good quality, but what about when it is prompted by violence? Such is often the case with ethnic and religious divisions. It would be nice if people were intrinsically interested in the difference between Catholics and Protestants or Hutus and Tutsis, but most aren't. It sometimes take a tragedy to make people curious. Sadly, that's the case for the divide between Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims. The cycle of violence between them has been going on for more than a thousand years. What caused the bitter divide?

The road from Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport to the capital, Taipei, looks like the sort of highway you would see anywhere else. However, in Taiwan, things are not always what they seem. Sections of this road double as runways. They aren't normally used for planes, but they are ready in case Chinese missiles ever destroy the country's conventional airstrips. Cruise missiles stand ready in unmarked trucks. City neighbourhoods hide tanks. There is a hollowed-out mountain with room for on hundred fighter jets. The shoreline boasts an oil-filled pipeline ready to greet invaders with a wall of fire. Taiwan has good reason to be nervous.

If you visit russianrailways.com, you can buy a ticket from Moscow to Vladivostok. It's a journey of almost 6,000 miles that takes you across eight time zones all the way to the Pacific Ocean in seven days. Russia is much larger than any other country. The next three biggest—Canada, the USA, and China—are less than 60% its size. Why is Russia so big?

In the Global Peace Index, which ranks countries on criteria such as crime, internal and external conflict, political instability and terrorism, New Zealand is beaten regularly only by Iceland. Why is New Zealand so peaceful?

“Look, this isn't rocket science!” We hear the phrase from teachers when they want their students to know when an issue isn't that complex. But there's a problem with this phrase: it implies that rocket science represents the ceiling of human intelligence, and in using it we leave our rocket scientist professors without a complex problem of their own to which they can refer. So here's a phrase that might be helpful: “Look, this isn't the Israeli-Palestinian conflict!” Is it really that bad?

Daniela Ruiz rubbed her wet eyes and drank some more of her coffee. She was reading about yesterday's demonstration on social media and in the international press. There was no point checking Venezuelan media—they had to be favourable to Maduro's government so would either ignore the protests or make up some false story. But Daniela had been on the street yesterday and seen the blood. Her country had more oil reserves than Saudi Arabia but last year food had been so scarce that 75% of the population lost weight.

For more than fifty years now, the US and Cuba have snarled at each other across the Florida Straits. Havana is one of the few airports in the world won't come up on expedia. American credit cards don't work there. US law prohibits all trade with the island—the United Nations has regularly said this is illegal, but the American government doesn't care. The bad blood is thick and old. Why?

Once upon a time there was a beautiful kingdom called China. It had stunning mountains, gorgeous valleys, and hundreds of miles of coastline. Its government was sophisticated and efficient. Its leaders dressed in silk.  It was the wealthiest country in the world. Alas, the beautiful kingdom's glory did not last. Foreigners invaded the land and exploited it. The people tried to resist foreign domination—their failure only made their condition worse. After a century of humiliation, China is once more a major player in world affairs.It is the world's second largest economy. 700 million people have escaped poverty. How did China do it?

It is hard to believe how much richer the United States is than Latin America. Each year, the US economy generates more than three times as much wealth as the twenty countries of Latin America combined. Before Columbus arrived in 1492, the largest, wealthiest, and most technologically advanced societies were in South America and modern-day Mexico. What changed? Why are garages in the US larger than many homes in Latin America?

75% of the world's poorest countries are in Africa. More than 25% of Africans are malnourished. 30% lack access to clean water. In 2016, Africa's GDP per person was $1,809—barely 10% of the world average. Why is Africa so poor?

The competition for Korea's most famous cultural export is now closed. With more than 3 billion views, Gangnam Style has done more to put South Korea on the map than anything else. The video portrays South Korea as confident, stylish, and prosperous—and that's accurate. What's remarkable is how quickly South Korea became one of the most advanced economies in the world. In 1960, the average South Korean was poorer than the average person in Senegal, Honduras, or the Philippines. Today, they are more than ten times richer. How did that happen?

Every four years, people all over the world watch as the results of the American presidential election come in. By the end of the night, the result is usually clear but how the process actually works is anything but. The source of confusion is the Electoral College. To win, a candidate needs to have 270 votes in the Electoral College. But what is it? What is the relationship between the few hundred voters in the Electoral College and the tens of millions who went to the polls on election day? It seems a bizarre way of choosing the president of the most powerful country in the world.

When Boko Haram comes on the news, you may want to turn away. Boko Haram is an Islamic terrorist organization in Northern Nigeria that has killed hundreds in the past decade. The media largely ignores the steady stream of horrors, but the group received widespread attention in 2014 for the kidnapping of 276 girls from their school dormitory. The Nigerian police and army seem incapable of halting the atrocities. The international community seems not to care. What's behind the violence of Boko Haram?

Hundreds of miles south of mainland China, in waters that lie east of Vietnam, west of the Philippines, and north of Malaysia, China has been building islands. Starting with a rock or a reef, they pile up sand and rocks before covering the new land with cement. The islands aren't big enough for farms or towns. What is China up to?

The Syrian civil war began in 2011. Since then, more Syrians have died than Americans in World War Two. Half the population have fled their homes, and more than five million have left the country and become refugees. It is impossible to understand suffering on this scale. Why is this war still going on? What is it even about? Here's a ten-point answer.

Since the Second World American presidents have consistently said that they are committed to the spread of American values around the world. At his inauguration, John F. Kennedy declared that the US would “pay any price, bear any burden… to assure the survival and success of liberty”. Where did this idea come from? And why does Donald Trump want to ditch it?

Pakistan and India don't like each other at all. With good reason. Pakistan's intelligence agency has given support to Pakistani terrorists in India, who have killed hundreds over the past decade. On the Indian side of the border, where many would prefer to live under Pakistan's authority, Indian troops have killed tens of thousands. Both countries have nuclear missiles pointed at the other. They have fought four wars in living memory. The relationship between India and Pakistan is one of the most hostile in the world today. Why?

Every time Tom Collins returned to Chicago, people asked him the same question. They wanted to know why Afghanistan was such a mess. His friends and family followed the news from that part of the world more closely than most because Tom had been working there for more than a decade. He had a group chat to reassure people that he was OK after every tragedy.

If you believe that governments should look after their people, you'll love Sweden. Sweden's welfare system—the benefits the state gives to its citizens—may be the best in the world. Swedes live longer than people from almost every other country and they are happier, too. Part of the reason is their solid social safety net. How did Sweden get it?

America and Iran don't like each other. The two countries have growled at each other for decades. Iranian leaders have called the US the “Great Satan.” In return, American presidents have said Iran is part of a global “axis of evil” and called it a “rogue state.” What explains all this hatred?

Tibet is not a country. It is a province of China. And that is deeply frustrating for Tibetans who believe they should be independent. This anger explains the bursts of violence that affect the region. More than a hundred people have burned themselves to death in the past ten years. So why is Tibet not free?

Vladimir Putin hardly has the cleanest reputation after Russia's interventions in Ukraine and Syria. Yet the Russian Orthodox Church supports him enthusiastically--its leader called Putin a "miracle from God." Why? You have to go back more than a thousand years to get the answer

If you're in search of bad news, you can rely on Iraq. Terrorists, internal conflict, poor government, lethal explosions—these are the all too familiar headlines. Iraq's recent past is sad. Much of its distant past is sad, too. Why? What did Iraq do to deserve all this pain? Very little. Most of Iraq's troubles have been caused by outsiders. But our story starts in the days when Iraq was powerful and majestic.

One of the worst refugee crises for decades is currently taking place in Southeast Asia, and world leaders are looking the other way. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh. Their suffering is immense, but not immense enough to make the world care. This is their story.

What does the United States have in common with Peru, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, and Uzbekistan? Answer: none of them have a universal health care system. The US is the only country in the developed world that does not provide health care to all of its citizens. The rest of the world thinks it's strange and even heartless that the richest country on earth doesn't seem to be able to look after its own people. That judgment may be harsh, as we'll see. But the health care set-up in the US is certainly unusual. Why?

In 1991, this question seemed like an easy one to answer. The Soviet Union had just come to an end, the other Communist states in Eastern Europe were no more. Since then, the remarkable growth of China has made the question more complicated. In 1991, the average person in China lived on US $360 a year. Now, the figure is US $8,500. When America's capitalist economy dived into recession in 2008 and China's didn't, Chinese officials were quick to argue that their system was superior. So can Communism work?

Go into a school and ask children to draw a picture of a famine victim, and the colour of crayons they'll grab is easy to predict. The stereotype of a person suffering from famine is African. And it's accurate. In the 1800's famines took place on every continent. In the past 40 years, by contrast, all famines except one have been in Africa. Why? There are several possible explanations. I'll give you the best four.

North Korea doesn't have an immigration problem. No one is lining up to move to a country known for its aggressiveness and shockingly low standards of living. For decades, it has threatened South Korea and Japan with missile strikes and it now has the ability to do the same to the USA. Why is North Korea so belligerent? Why would such a small country threaten the United States? Is Kim Jong-un really that bad? Or mad? Or is there something else going on?

Paris used to be known for its narrow, grimy streets. Cramped conditions and filthy water encouraged the spread of cholera and typhus. This was the Paris where Les Misérables of Victor Hugo's imagination lived. Hugo set his story in 1832. By the time Hugo died in 1885, Paris was being called the most beautiful city in the world. What happened? How did Paris change so fast? And what was the point of all those new, wide streets?

If you live somewhere that's relatively wealthy and successful, following world news can be uncomfortable. As you see countries sunk in poverty, war, or injustice you may wonder why the world is so unfair. And you probably also ask whether there's a solution—whether there's a way for other countries to flourish. On the surface, Singapore seems like it offers hope. In the early 1960's, it was poorer than Mexico. 25 years later, it was three times as rich. How did it do it? And should other countries copy Singapore?

Going to church is an essential part of every tourist's trip to Europe. Whether they are in Barcelona, Prague, or Paris, they shuffle quietly into some of the most stunning buildings in the world. They look at statues, stonework, paintings, and stained glass. The especially curious might attend a service. If they do, they will wonder why almost everyone there is, like them, a tourist. Europeans attend religious services less than people anywhere else in the world. Why?

Cars are expensive. Unless you're talking antiques, their value only goes down. They cost a lot to repair and it's a hassle when you have to. So it's no wonder that reliability is a primary consideration when people buy a car. For the past thirty years, your safest bet has been to buy Japanese. Why are the Japanese so good at making cars?

Have you ever seen Vladimir Putin, Russia's leader, smile? Probably not. Whenever he appears on the Western news, the report is that Russia has done something sinister, and he certainly looks capable of whatever it is.

Ask a European, and they will tell you that Americans are violent. It's not true. The number of assaults in America is similar to that in other countries. However, Americans are much more likely to die when attacked. The reason is guns. Americans citizens own as many guns as the rest of the world combined. Why?

A few years ago, Gallup asked people in more than a hundred countries whether religion was an important part of their daily lives. 83% of Iranians said, “Yes.” That may sound high but it actually put Iran right in the middle of the pack. But it's understandable if you think of Iran as a land of religious zealots because that is how it's portrayed in the media, especially in the US.

The battle against sexism isn't over anywhere. Still, it's shocking to know that until recently women in Saudi Arabia weren't allowed to drive a car. What good explanation could there be?

It's difficult to put the United States on a map. There's the problem of what to do with Alaska, and the bigger problem of Hawaii. 

Northern China. Northern France. Northern Canada. Northern Chad. All these are regions of particular countries. Northern Ireland is different.

Some countries get all the luck. Canada is one of them. Not only does it have a strong economy and high living standards, it even gets stereotyped well. Canada is a place where the weather is cold but the people are warm. They enjoy moose and maple trees. They cheer ice hockey. They don't get involved in wars. They have a cool flag. Crime is low. Everyone has good health care. 

Hong Kong is a small island off the south coast of China. It is part of China, but it has an unusual deal with the government in Beijing.